Stalkers of The Night
by Heart In The Shadows
Summary: An outcast born of shadows, a Faunus with a dark past, a girl who vanished, and a giant who should be dead. It's one thing to overcome one's own problems, but can they deal with those of their teammates when the past won't die down? The answers may just come from team RWBY. If the gang can get this new team under control, they could gain their most powerful allies yet. Reviews help
1. Chapter 1

**HITS: Right, I've been away for medical, personal, and other such reasons, but I'm back! And who do I open my inbox to find? Why it's a request for a story I've wanted to do for a while now. This is a RWBY story written by myself and Red Right Eye, the same person who wanted the Test Site story. Constructive criticism will be accepted, ravings of madmen will be cast to the birds. I know this first chapter may be dry and bare, but hang in there. We're working on the second one already. RWBY will forever belong to Monty Oum. Rest easy.**

* * *

In all 16 years of her life, she'd never seen something so beautiful. The moon was high in the blackness of the night, casting just enough light to illuminate the white chitin on the beast's back. It's red eyes glowed brightly, betraying it to the true stalker of the night. Of course, she knew it wasn't the only one in her territory. All shadows belonged to her, right down to the burrow beneath the oldest oak tree. It was a shame that only the oldest of creatures knew that. Then again, only the oldest creatures could hope to live through her territory. Then she felt something else stirring in the dark.

Human, middle aged, three steps on a set so it used a cane. It was impossible to determine its gender from sense alone. Speaking of, this human was not alone. Another set of steps upon her soil, separate from the one with a cane, marched along behind it. She could feel her mind start to fog, but it wasn't as difficult to suppress it as it was with animals or Grimm. That killing instinct that told her to make sure they never leave. She could hear the faint echo of a voice, but couldn't tell what it was saying. One thing was certain, that Grimm heard it too. It reared up, trying to pinpoint the sound. Sadly, she couldn't do that, but the Grimm didn't know how many there were. She could feel it, somewhere in her shadows were trespassers, but she couldn't find where. She reached back and grabbed her bow. It wasn't it's best feature, but the fact it could split into twin sickles made up for lost ground. Of course, the arrows she used were not of a normal substance. In fact, they were made from the shadows themselves. If there was a name for her ability to manipulate darkness, it would be Semblance. Semblance was the manifestation of the soul in the form of abilities. Huntsman and Huntresses use them most often. To her knowledge, she was the only one capable of shadow manipulation. That meant she was the only one vulnerable in daylight. She would still be protected, as sunlight cannot dissipate the soul no matter how dark, but her bow would be useless.

As she drew the black thread taunt and an arrow took its place, it made a soft sigh as it let loose into the night, burying itself into the Grimm's eye. The arrow would remain there until light struck it.

_This will be interesting..._

She shook her head clear of the constant whispers. They were just a nuisance these days. Sometimes she even forgot they were there until something eerily clear was heard. Still, there were more Grimm to worry about, always was. Grimm were tricky. They didn't have souls, so the shadows couldn't differentiate them from anything else. On the bright side, they didn't have any abilities aside from their physical attributes. They usually weren't the sneaky kind anyway, so she knew the general area they were in usually. If she didn't get a move on, though, those humans would be Grimm food. She never did let the Grimm have a meal and she never killed a human personally despite her constant urge to end them all, so she was something of a forest watcher with a bad temper. A really bad temper.

She suddenly felt naked. A section of her shadows had been peeled away as a the forest lit up not far from her. She could tell exactly where they were now and she was certain everything else could too. Humans needed their light to see, but it revealed them to literally everything. Luckily, it wasn't far from where she was and it wasn't long before she could see them. There was a man with silver hair, glasses, and dark clothing with a cane sitting by a fire. Walking around the perimeter of their little circle of light was a woman with blond hair and glasses. A black cape hung out of the back of her white blouse. Her black skirt and stockings went well together, but those heels were impractical out here. The stalker almost laughed at her as she made a big show of walking into the light, not bothering to try and hide her approach. As she crossed the threshold and her shadows couldn't cling to her any longer, she visibly shivered as her clothes were all that covered her. She kept her bow in hand, but didn't plan on using it. She couldn't right now anyway. The woman noticed her instantly and brandished a crop in her direction. It was most likely a specific conductor for her Semblance. The man poured more of whatever he was drinking from a silver thermos and gestured to the fire, "Have a seat, my dear."

She stayed back, noticing how calm he was. It was very clear they were expecting her. If she seemed too compliant, they wouldn't take her seriously. If this was a trap, she'd avoid it the best she could. She shifted her weight to her left foot, ready to move should either of them do anything. The man simply gestured again and sipped loudly from his cup. He really didn't perceive her as the threat she was, did he? She looked at the fire and, despite wanting to put it out, knelt down across from him with her bow in hand. The flames distorted their features, but he smiled at her, "I hear you've been hunting in this forest for a while now."

She nodded, not quite clear what he meant to get at. She lived here, hunting the Grimm and other animals, living in a cave not too far from here. The man produced a second cup from his jacket and pour some of that substance into it. He peered at her over his glasses, looking for something, "These woods are technically part of my school, but I don't have the means to keep them free of Grimm, not like you have, but that's not why I'm here. I've been looking for you, of course."

Her grip tightened on her bow. The only reason anyone would look for her is for personal gain or her head. The man extended his hand to the woman still glaring at her, "Pass this along?"

The woman said nothing and passed the cup to her with a vile expression on her face. She took it, but didn't raise it to her lips. It didn't smell right, almost like there was something missing from it. With a cup of something in one hand and her useless bow in the other, she really hoped she wouldn't have to react too quickly. The man smiled again, "What's your name?"

That was an easy one, she said it everyday so she wouldn't forget. She had to since no one was around to say it. "Kurai."

"Kurai, I have a favor to ask of you. You've kept Grimm away from my school for a while now, but the time is coming for my new students to be tested. I would ask that they use your territory for their test."

That was a crazy bold favor. Technically speaking, this was his land anyway. Plus, she never kept them out, just chased them off. She had to give him guts, though. She didn't have any problem with it either, but of course she needed something in return. She rarely was able to get her hands on anything from society these days. That and there were no such thing as free favours, not around here. He just sat there with a smile and kept sipping from his cup. What should she ask for? What could she ask of this man? There were so many things she could want, starting with a warm shower, but what did she need? She had food and even Grimm were edible enough when she had to compromise. Fresh water wasn't hard to come by. She'd made a shelter ages ago. What could she possibly need? Maybe he already had an idea, "What's in it for me?"

He gave an exaggerated look of shock and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "What? You want something in return for living in my forest?" He grinned playfully, "Relax, I am willing to offer you residence as a student at Beacon. I'm sure it's better than your current situation."

He gestured to the large building in the distance, standing proudly over everything. That place sure was a beacon alright, complete with bright lights and tons of people. Why would she want to go there? She could tell that very few shadows resided within, not many places to hide or just sit comfortably. She didn't hide her scrutiny, "Why would I want to go there?"

"Well, a soft bed, professionally cooked food, the chance to make some friends, enhancing your already impressive abilities, and a nice warm bath. And that's just the start."

Oh, he just had to mention a bath. That was almost enough reason to go in itself. Then she notice he'd mentioned her abilities, "What abilities?"

He smiled and pushed his glasses further up his nose, "Sorry to say, but you aren't as stealthy as you thought. You use darkness as an extension of yourself. It's incredible, but you make yourself known to your prey. When we walked into your area of detection, both of us could very clearly tell something was watching. You turn the shadows into a place of safety by making it threatening to everyone else. However, we could use this ability against you. The closer we get, the more threatening it is. We could hunt you down using how we felt. That and light completely negates the effect."

She bit her lip. It was the first time someone had told her she was broadcasting herself. That explains why they made the fire. She scanned the tree line for anything she could use to her advantage. Nothing. She couldn't see anything that would help her here. Oddly enough, no Grimm had appeared either. She knew they heard them though. Her knuckles went white from gripping the bow as she lied to this man, "And why would I want to improve it? It does just fine as it is."

His coy smile vanished, replaced by a very neutral expression and equal tone, "Everyday, the world gets worse. As it gets worse, its inhabitants adapt to survive. Eventually, the things you hunt here will do the same and you will be unable to catch them. You will starve and eventually be hunted yourself. Come with me, I will teach you how to adapt."

Well that went south pretty fast. She held her breath for a moment, thinking what would happen if she said no. He was probably correct about the animals and Grimm evolving, though she hadn't seen evidence of such. And she always thought of starving as one of the top five worst ways to die, right behind bleeding out. She could learn how to make her shadows better, safer for herself, and the thought of a bath was still a tempting offer. She opened her mouth to speak, but another series of clear whisper reached her ears.

_You need this. You will die. Why let it happen? He can help. If he doesn't, we can kill him._

Huh, that made some sense, "When can I have my bath?"

That smile returned to his pale face with full force, "You could get it before morning comes. We can have everything sorted by tomorrow when the new students come in. You'll be properly enrolled."

It did sound like an interesting way to spend a week or two... And she really wanted that bath. She stood up, her knees popping as she did so, and nodded to the man, "Alright, you've got a deal."

* * *

The next day...

Flying. Why did they have to fly? He looked around the large space at the other new students. There was space to move despite being crammed in here like sardines and a couple people were slouched against the windows sleeping. But where was his sister in all this mess? "Savage!"

Speak of the devil and he shall send his sister. Shiro, his little sister, waved to him across the room. She was next to those large windows overlooking the ground of Vale below and that meant he would stay right here, away from any windows. He preferred to be on the ground, where he could run and climb and not plummet to his death unless he really wanted to. His tail twisted itself around his leg in an attempt to keep it from moving too much, but it didn't work very well. Every thought he had caused his tail to move somehow. Normally he wouldn't mind, but he'd been terrified of flying and didn't want to show he was scared, otherwise his tail would literally be between his legs. Shiro was a lucky girl. She wasn't a Faunus like he was. She was different in a more convenient way, but she kept that a well guarded secret that no one would guess.

She had two different color eyes, one green and one red, just like her brother, who had a brown eye and a red one. He always found it funny that their mother was the only one with red eyes in their family and then they both get one red eye. It even alternated. His left was red, but hers was her right. It wasn't until someone to his left nudged him, a lanky kid with short green hair, that he broke eye contact with her, "You her boyfriend?"

Oh boy, one of these. He wasn't offended by it. Hell, they looked nothing alike and she was cute, but in that adorable little sister way. He curled his lips into a smile, which coincidentally looked like snarling, "I'm her brother."

The man had that look of embarrassment that only someone who tried to do something nice and ruined it could have. The guy was a bit taller than he was, and had what was clearly his weapon of choice hanging off his belt. It was folded up multiple ways so he couldn't tell what it was, but he learned to never underestimate someone, especially when the weapon is in the open. His own weapons hugged his arms tightly, housed inside his gauntlets. They were meant to move the metal plates together into a great sword, but the blade itself could split apart into a crossbow capable of launching actual bolts and rifle rounds as well as Dust projectiles. The left gauntlet was capable of something similar with the result being a kite shield instead. They weren't nearly as inconspicuous as so many other weapons, but he was satisfied with them, together called Silent Wisp. The guy next to him wore a fairly respectable set of clothes, a blue shirt and green jacket with navy colored jeans. That embarrassed look stayed plastered on his pale face, "Sorry, just saw the way you looked at her and all. I guess you two aren't exactly on good terms?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well she called you a savage so I tho-"

"That's my name, Savage Okami. That's Shiro over there."

The guy didn't hide his frustration this time as he ran his hands through his bright green hair, "I did it again! Why is talking to people so hard?"

Savage stopped fake smiling and let a genuine grin creep across his face. True enough, it was hard, but... "It isn't, you just suck at it. A for effort, though."

They stood here in silence for a moment, the guy scratching his head and Savage just being his awesome self. The man opened his mouth to speak, but Savage cut him off with a glare, "Think about it."

There were a few more seconds of silence before he followed through, "I like your ears. Wolf?"

The salt and pepper colored pointed ears on top of Savage's skull twitched in response, like they noticed they were now the subject of conversation, "Yeah, good guess."

They served their purpose. His hearing was that of a wolf's and his sense of smell was damn near perfect. The guy finally extended his hand right in front of Savage's face, "I'm Alan."

The wolf took it firmly and lowered it to normal arm height, "Savage."

Alan turned around and leaned on the window, "It's incredible, isn't it? We're so high up and heading to a school for Huntsman. Exciting."

He had to mention the height! It was bad enough that they were on a military ship for transport, now the height was back in his head. Savage shivered slightly and took a step away from the window, "Sooner we get there, the better."

A quick glance at his sister said she was coming over to him for some reason. Sadly, she wasn't any better at conversation than Alan. In fact, she was probably worse. Her short white hair was combed thoroughly and sprayed with God only knows how many chemicals, but she did look nice. She still wore her baggy clothes from home, a long sleeve blue shirt with a thick jacket and sweatpants. She skilfully chose her sweatpants a size too small for her, so they looked fairly good on her instead of hanging off her. Savage, however, did not dress that well. He wore a grey T-shirt with a black jacket not nearly as thick as her's and sweats literally meant to hang off him that were tied off around his waist. Not exactly social clothes, but very easy to move around in if he should need to.

Alan nudged him, "So, at the risk of offending again-"

"Which means it will."

"There are some pretty cute girls here, huh?"

Savage had to turn around and look him right in the eye, "I'm impressed, that wasn't offensive... To me."

He looked around, there was the usual rabble aside from his sister and... Two girls. A blonde girl in a yellow and brown outfit that showed a lot of skin was choking the life out of a slightly smaller girl with a hug. The victim wore an outfit much more modest than the other with a red and black color scheme. The hood on the back looked especially well kept. They didn't seem to notice anyone but themselves. "I'll give you that one, they are cute."

It wasn't two seconds before he felt someone behind him. He felt a hard whack against his back, "Savage! I told you not to creep on girls!"

He whirled around to see his little sister pouting playfully, the blunt side of her War Axe matching the distinct line of pain on his back. He lunged for her, coiling his arm around her neck and putting her in an effective headlock, "And I told you to stay next to your brother! What did I say about hitting people?"

"If you're going to hit someone, make sure it kills them."

"What? No! Well, yes but- wait, were you trying to kill me?!"

She started laughing as he dragged his knuckles across her head. He didn't notice at first, but he sure did now. His tail was wagging. It was now going back and forth proudly. He released Shiro after a moment. There weren't many students that stood out, but he'd occasionally spot someone interesting. This time, he noticed another blonde, a guy stumbling across the floor with his hand over his mouth. Poor guy. Savage was afraid of heights, but that guy must have gotten airsick. If someone who could get sick from this decided to fly, then he knew what he had to do. This was no time to cower in fear. Nothing would happen, even barf boy over there is fine! Savage took a breath as he decided what to do. He steeled himself for his next act, took a step forward, and looked out the window. He thought about which was worse, getting airsick or just being afraid of heights. Maybe vomit boy could provide another viewpoint.

* * *

"I feel ridiculous."

Kurai tried desperately to slide the skirt down a few extra inches, but it wasn't budging. At least the blouse fit, although it was a bit loose in the chest. Miss Goodwitch was kind enough to give her one of her skirts and blouses since Kurai's actual clothes were in the wash, but she didn't have any stockings for her size, as the breeze on an elevated platform was quick to remind her. It didn't help that she was fresh from the bath either. She stood on the landing platform as the transports started to land. She had to admit that she felt almost as nervous, if not more so, than the new students would be. Miss Goodwitch placed a slender hand on her shoulder, "You'll be fine. Just follow them once they step off the ships. I need to go prepare."

As she walked off, Kurai couldn't help but want to put an arrow through her spine. She wouldn't be swinging those hips then, would she? Unfortunately, it was still the afternoon so her bow was useless. Speaking of, her bow was collapsed and folded into two headbands connected with black thread. Shadows crisscrossed her skin inside her clothes in an attempted to feel like she was a bit more covered, but it wasn't working in the slightest. It actually felt like insects were crawling all over her. When she finally looked away from where Goodwitch had gone, the transport had landed and people were stepping off. There wasn't anything remarkable about most of them. Almost everyone had the same dumbstruck look as they exited the ship. Among the few who actually stood out was a girl in yellow and brown clothes looking as naked as Kurai felt, a girl with a bright red hood and black dress, a man who looked like a walking tree with dark blue pants, a girl with short silver hair and thick clothing, and a man with a tail. A tail? She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. Yeah, it was a genuine black and white tail. It moved back and forth lazily as he moved at a sort of fast walk away from the transport. The moment he was in the middle of the stone walkway leading to Beacon, he was a bit more calm. Kurai started to wonder if he would run like an animal or a human. She'd never seen anything like it. Was his mother an animal or his father? Was that even how they happened? Oh right, she was supposed to follow them. She walked briskly to the center of the large group of people. No one seemed to either care or notice her. She tried to blend in without losing sight of the animal. As luck would have it, he and the walking tree were having a conversation, walking slower than everyone else and making it easier for her to catch up. She suddenly heard a sharp animalistic yelp, exactly like someone kicked a puppy. The girl with short silver hair had stepped right on his tail. He stoop there caressing his tail and whining slightly as the tree man laughed. The three of them seemed very close, almost like siblings. That couldn't be the case though, only one had animalistic features. Before she knew it, Kurai had gotten right behind them. She could actually make out what they were saying now, "All I'm saying is they better have some meat here, genuine steak and all that. Wolves have to eat more than squirrels, Y'know."

The silver haired girl laughed, "I remember when you tried squirrel. You-"

"We don't speak of that anymore! No one will speak of the squirrel!"

Kurai quickly found herself tuning them out. She knew full well what squirrel does. She even went felt a bit flushed when she recalled her own encounter with the beast. She followed the group to the front gates of the main building, but not before hearing a loud boom. The moment she turned around, she saw that the red hooded girl from earlier was being chewed out by someone who was apparently prepared for arctic camouflage. Wait, that was just her dress... And hair... And skin. She was practically a walking snowflake. Kurai was a bit pale herself, but not even close to that pale.

"Yeesh," a deep voice said behind her. She turned to see the wolf man, his brown and red eyes looking at the two girls further back, "I've heard of being angry, but exploding? A bit much."

She let out a small giggle. She was surprised when his ears twitched and his eyes rolled down to her. He looked around them and, aside from the two girls going separate ways, saw no one. She looked around as well, seeing if she could sense anyone. Sadly, there was no one. The man scratched his head right between his ears, "Ah crap. Hey, you know where the Main Hall is?"

She took a moment to check if someone else would answer, but when no one did she realised he was looking right at her. She was quick to find out her mouth wasn't working and was smart enough not to attempt it. She shook her head vigorously, giving herself a slight headache. The man hung his head, "You're new too? Dang, guess we should look around. Wanna come?"

It was a formal question meant simply as a rhetorical offer, but she nodded. He gave her a small smile, "Yeah? Cool. Alright, let's go. This won't take long. Well, I hope."

He made a sharp turn around, his tail tickling her nose briefly. He started walking with his head angled upwards, like he was expecting something to fall from the sky. He took long strides, but would occasionally slow down when he noticed she wasn't keeping up. It was awful to try and keep up with an animal in a dress and heels. She kept her eyes on his tail, swishing back and forth as he walked. The black fur looked glossy while the white threads shined brightly, almost reflectively, completing the salt and pepper coloring. Then it started acting weird. It went far left and didn't move, staying in a curve, then straightened out and wagged back and forth very quickly. It slowly straightened out and started going upward. When it reached her nose, it wagged back and forth. She immediately sneezed, "Bless you."

"Thank y-" she looked up to see him looking over his shoulder, grinning ear to ear. She literally felt her embarrassment crawl all over her like spiders. With an odd look in his eye, he spoke in a fatherly manner, "I take it tails are new to you?"

She nodded. She'd never even heard of people with animal features. It showed how truly out of touch she was with the rest of the world. While everyone else paid him no mind, she'd been captivated by it. He reached back and ruffled her hair with a smile, "That's just precious. I di-"

He stopped abruptly and looked up, sniffing the air. His eyes lit up as her arm was hidden in his massive hand and he began to pull her. Unfortunately, heels weren't designed to keep up with animals. He was moving so fast that when she tripped -which was unavoidable- she didn't even touch the ground as he kept pace. He actually sped up even more once her feet left the ground. After a few seconds defying gravity, she slammed into his broad stone-like back as he came to a dead stop. Kurai felt nauseous, but her stomach would settle down. The animal had stopped right behind the silver haired girl she's seen earlier. He had her in a headlock while dragging his fist across the top of her head, "Ditch me, eh? I'll show what happens!"

Despite her flailing, the girl was smiling. She had a single red eye too, just like her animal friend. They looked so happy, despite the situation.

* * *

A few hours later...

Savage didn't like this. The cramped quarters, the tons of people, and the people giving him the stink eye. He knew why they were too. His tail swung proudly left and right and he surveyed his surroundings for the night. The new students were to sleep in the tower tonight. He was quick to claim the sleeping bag next to Shiro simply because he wanted to keep an eye on her. Most of them were still awake though, wandering about doing their routine. A few men were stretching out so they would be ready for tomorrow, the two girls from before were talking loudly with a third closing in, a girl was reading a book in the corner, and a large man with a scarf twisted around his neck was talking to Alan. Everything seemed to be going well. He laid down on the sleeping bag, his shirt removed and stuffed under the pillow for extra cushion and Silent Wisp stored away in a locker they'd assigned him. It felt weird to walk around without those gauntlets on his arms. He was as used to the weight of them as he was to his own tail.

As everything began to calm down, his mind began spinning with various thoughts. The main one being the fact he'd been accepted to Beacon without attending any previous schooling. He was, in every sense, self taught. He counted himself lucky that he was just able to put Shiro through school. Thinking of this, he gently brushed his sister's hair with the back of his hand. He wondered what he'd have done if their father had stuck around long enough to give a damn. He probably would have had an actual childhood. It didn't do any good to dwell on what might have been, but he tried to imagine what life was like between his parents back when his mother was alive. Back before the son of a bitch let her die. It didn't work. Instead, his dreams turned into a flashback.


	2. Chapter 2

**HITS:** So there's a large chance this will be rewritten when we've gotten it all said and done. Don't worry, it'll all pick up soon.

* * *

-3 years ago-

Savage weakly opened the rotten wooden door. His whole body burned and screamed from the day's abuse. He'd come back from his job at one of the Schnee Dust factories. It wasn't the best idea, since White Fang (a group of Faunus radicals trying to get equal rights through violence) had been attacking the factories, so he'd had to hide his ears and tail. Once he looked like a normal fifteen year old human child desperate for work, they couldn't give him a job fast enough. Apparently the threat of attack made quite a few workers quit. Hey, more work for him. It was fairly safe, the hours were fair, and the pay was enough for what he needed. The only problem being that he was fifteen in a job meant for men in their thirties or higher. His daily tasks left him physically drained.

The empty cabin was dark and the candles around the room were still cold. No one had tried to cook yet, judging by the fact they still had a kitchen, so he was the first home this time. Good, he needed a rest before part two kicked off. He walked across the creaking floor to his mother's old room. It still smelled like she did, peppermint with the faintest hint of pine. This room was the most maintained in the whole cabin, in no small part thanks to Savage. The bed's green sheets were recently washed, the floor was swept, the shelves dusted, and the picture frame of the four -no, of the three of them- was recently repaired. He'd almost forgotten there had been someone else living here not long ago. When their mother died, she'd begged Savage, her twelve year old son at the time, on her deathbed to watch after the family. In doing so, he'd taken on most of her responsibilities and inherited her room based on principle. He wasn't about to complain, given his previous living conditions were absolutely barbaric. Under the dictatorship of the other parent. Their father had left the house entirely, only coming by to collect their rent every month. That's right, they paid their father bastard may not have cared for Savage, but he adored his daughter Shiro more than he valued life, which sadly didn't say much. The little girl refused to leave Savage when their mother passed, having cried for two whole days into the small boy's arms, so instead of forcing her to leave, he left. Unfortunately, that meant he took his money with him and the bills began piling up. Both Savage and the man wanted Shito to live well, so they made a deal. When he would come by for the rent, he and Savage would sit down and talk about that month's expenses, trying to sort out who should pay what. The father would pay only for Shiro's food expenses. Savage had to keep separate tabs for it since combining the food expenses of the two of them would result in the cheep prick not paying a cent. Every penny helped these days. With the pay from his job, Savage paid for house maintenance, Shiro's education at Signal, his own food, and anything extra they needed. Yeah, the pay was just barely good enough for all that. Luckily for his sanity, the end of the month was still a week away and he had an hour or two before Shiro would be home. He had a moment to breathe.

Savage collapsed onto the bed, his leg hanging over the side. No point getting comfy, but it felt good to just lay here for a while and let his aching body rest. However, he couldn't sleep just yet. He still had to have dinner ready by the time Shiro got home. Then he'd have to convince her to do her homework, scold her for not doing it, help her with half of it while not knowing the first damn thing about it, and then entertain her until she got tired. He looked up from the bed and reached for the picture, "Mom... I miss you."

-Present-

He slowly opened his eyes, wondering briefly where he was. He could hear commotion around him as people went about their morning routine. Right, he was somehow still in Beacon. He could have sworn he dreamed it all up. He was quick to get up, years of practice made it very easy, and stretched out across the floor with his tail waving lazily in the air. He was sure a few people stared, but they should try waking up without stretching their tails. Oh wait, most of them don't have any. His joints popped and snapped loudly as he got to his feet. Surveying the room and looking down to the spot next to him, he noticed Shiro had already left. Say what you want, but that girl could move when she wanted to.

Savage was quick to dress himself and before long had gathered his equipment from his locker. As he slid the metal plates over his skin until they fastened into place at his shoulder, he let a smile creep across his face. Now everything felt right, except for that chilling feeling from not knowing where Shiro was. He knew he was over reacting, but he was always a touch over protective. It was just how he was and it had saved her life a few times now. He'd gotten better though, he didn't freak out as much these days. Having no clue where he was supposed to go, he followed everyone else outside and down a large hill with a dirt path. Within an hour or two, he had arrived at the edge of a cliff and positioned by the headmaster on a metal platform. Shiro gave him a wave from the far left end. He smiled back, but was just reminded of how high the cliff was. Jesus, it was high. There was a big man to his right, absolutely massive. His short black hair hung down to his cheekbones and a dark purple scarf covered the rest of his face. His light brown trench coat was obviously from another time entirely as it was double breasted with ten buttons down the front.

_I wouldn't want to fight him_, he thought.

Savage only half listened to the Headmaster as he explained it. They would explore the forest and the first person you saw was to be your partner for the next few years. Travel to a thingy in the forest, collect a piece of some kind, and try not to die. Savage shook his head in a Oh-Crap movement as everyone prepared themselves. He could practically feel the terror about to dig into his bones. There was a reason they were all on individual platforms facing a cliff. Then he heard a metallic sound followed by a _thwump_ as Shiro was hurled into the air, laughing the whole way. Savage damn near had a heart attack. He probably would have if the giant next to him wasn't next to be launched. Actually, it looked like he jumped. He didn't go nearly as far as Shiro and he landed with a loud thud, producing a column of dust from the forest. Before Savage had a chance to so much as speak, he was in the air.

* * *

She landed with the grace of a vulture. A bird of prey coming down to watch and wait. Thankfully that was a metaphor. It wasn't the best landing Kurai could have done, but with as little warning as she'd gotten, she did rather well. Her clothes were her own, so the landing was easy in comparison to heels and a skirt. Kurai shuddered at the thought. With her bow separated into sickles, she hit the ground without much noise or dust. She almost felt bad for the other students. These woods were her territory, the shadows obey her, and there was little chance anything could surprise her. Well, except Grimm. She looked up just in time to see a few more students soar overhead. Flying through the air was apparently a trend around here. You'd think it a school for aviation. She could tell where Ozpin had put the objectives simply by feeling a series of foreign objects, using her shadows, on pedestals not far from her. All she had to do was find a partner and grab one. Judging by the little whispers she could hear, a majority of people were either paired up or near enough that she wouldn't get there in time before they too were paired. Kurai bit her lip lightly, a common habit when she was deep in thought. She wouldn't be able to get near anyone before they paired off. Wait a minute. Were there an... Odd number of students? Oh no, that meant there would be one who wouldn't get a partner! If she was that person, would they cut her? True, she didn't plan on staying, but she didn't want to get kicked out unless it was on her terms. If she got one of those objectives, then she might be able to stay. That wouldn't be hard, she knew exactly where they were. The problem would be the Grimm. She couldn't tell where they were, but they would be drawn here rather quickly. Kurai climbed the closest tree, scurrying up before standing tall on top. She couldn't see anyone she recognize flying overhead. She was almost tempted to try and find that wolf boy from earlier, but she couldn't tell who was who from shadows alone, even if they had a tail.

That boy... He was apparently something called a Faunus, humans with animal features. She'd borrowed a book on them last night from a girl with a black bow. Speaking of, she still needed to return that. Faunus could just have tails or ears or other traits. They could also have extra features like fur in spots and hair almost similar to a mane and other such things. The boy seemed to only have ears and a tail, but there could be other attributes he's hidden under all those baggy clothes. The only way to know that would be to hope a Grimm rips his shirt off. Wait, that sounded wrong. Now she was curious! Damn it, why did she have to think that? She grimaced at the track her mind was on. Luckily, her mind was derailed by a animalistic roar of rage not too far from her. Perhaps the Faunus? No, something just appeared in her shadows, a large man. An angry man. There were two others moving towards him, but she was closer. She could get him first! A small smile crossed her face. She wouldn't be the one left out. She leapt off the treetop and sprinted for him.

It wasn't long before she saw him. She also saw the pack of Beowolves around him. It was a large man in an old time trench coat and a dark purple scarf fluttering slightly behind him. His dead neutral expression, from what little of his face she could see, was unnerving as he held his stance. The Beowolves were locked on him, waiting for an opening. One of them charged forward. A single Beowolf, probably to test him. The man shifted his weight slightly as his bare fist connected with the chitin on its face, shattering it entirely and leaving a writhing, soon to be dead, Grimm on the ground. The man took a second to flex his fist. Kurai winced as she heard a bone pop back into place. It sounded beyond painful. He resumed his stance, kicking the Grimm to the side for room. Another tried to rush him from behind, but with the smoothest of movements, he made a flipping motion, keeping his right leg firmly on the ground. As the Beowolf was about to connect, his left heel was brought full circle into the beast's bottom jaw. The momentum of both the Grimm and his heel brought the Beowolf down into the ground as the man stood upright. He shook out his leg, rotating it back to its original rotation. It was now that those other two people entered the fray, an armoured man with a mace and a man with two knives and odd looking hair. They beat their way into the circle, taking their place behind the giant. They were noticed alright. At first, Kurai considered jumping into the fight herself and just see what happened. She positioned herself to jump into the crowd and was a single second from jumping, but then the large man turned back to the two new fighters. He raised his hand like an executioner's blade, straight towards the sky. Then it dropped. It connected harshly against the neck of the odd haired man, who collapsed instantly. The man with the mace was quick to spin around, but was met by a fist. A clean knockout for both of them. Kurai instantly second guessed herself, not wanting a broken face, and remained hidden, watching this beast of a human. Now back to being the last one on the field, he turned back to the Grimm. She thought for sure they would all rush him, but she never found out. Her thoughts were cut off by a deep growling noise coming from right behind her ear.

* * *

This, right here, was the pure luck. Savage stood tall among the corpses of Ursa piled upon one another. He hadn't killed them all, but he'd done his fair share. A multitude of gashes and high-caliber wounds littered the bodies. Even he was going a bit Feral at the end there, losing his grip on himself in the midst of a fight he was certain to lose. Aside from that, the Grimm were dead, the weather was clear, and his feet were firmly planted on the ground. His tail hung lazily, having stopped flailing about for combat purposes, but his ears perked up at the sound of metal casings hitting the dirt. Grimm didn't use metal, so it was his chance to find a partner and his secret little guardian, the one who shot the Grimm. With Wisp drawn, he charged out into the woods, following the slightest of sounds in hope of finding the one who helped him. The smell of Grimm blood and flora deceived his nose though, making it hard to track the scent. Gunpowder did linger, but not enough to track, so he was dependent upon his hearing. It was odd. The sound was that of weapon maintenance or perhaps in the process of reloading, but it seemed to be coming from the trees themselves. No, that was outright stupid. Maybe not the trees, but perhaps within the canopy? That was much more likely. His eyes scanned the branches overhead, but he heard them before he saw them. Leaves rustled as something descended from above. Savage heard a blade dig into the ground next to him and raised his own straight to his right, ready for almost anything. He heard a feminine giggle as something clicked against his blade. A woman had driven what appeared to be a Halberd into the ground and had her legs crossed around the pole for a place to sit. His first thought was that she had to have the leg strength of a god. She walked her middle and index finger down the blade of Wisp, nails clicking against the metal, until she stretched her arm too far and gave up, "Hello!"

She was about Shiro's height, but her hair was a vibrant red and clashed like a civil war with her bright blue eyes and earrings. Her pale skin made his farmer's tanned hide seem even darker in comparison. This had to be his little sniper friend. Who else? Savage lowered his blade, refusing to put it away, and smiled, "Hey. You kinda scared me back there."

She reached a hand back and scratched the back of her head in that classic "oops" style. Her smile was bright and her expression even brighter as she patted her weapon, "Oh yeah, I bet that hurt your ears. Sorry about that, but there wasn't much I could do. This thing is really loud!"

She was right about that. When he'd landed, those Grimm swarmed him. Even in the middle of a fight, he could hear the shots. Her weapon's ranged capabilities were no joke. There were chunks missing from those Grimm! Massive bits and pieces ripped away from their skeleton. She reached up and ruffled his hair between his ears, "Poor puppy."

He tried to get her to stop, since having someone capable of ripping Grimm a literal new one rubbing your head was rather unnerving... But that felt really good. He couldn't remember the last time someone did that for him. It was relaxing, nearly sleep inducing. Just as his tail was starting to wag, she stopped of her own accord. He managed to restrain himself from letting out a whine, not wanting her to stop. He'll just have to see if he could rub his head against his pillow or something equally stupid to simulate it. The woman was talking to him, but he was a bit busy thinking, mainly that he'd have to kick those habits of his. Most Faunus learn to kick their animalistic habits at a very early age, but with no one to teach him and very little reason to learn he'd left it as it was. Now he was more wolf than human. He'd practice later. Oh right, talking woman.

"-ought I saw a groups go that way. What do you think? Good idea to follow?"

Oh crap, what'd she say? Well, he wasn't new to this, having spaced out many times when Shiro would talk to him. So she said something about a group and following. He shrugged with a slight smile, "Sure."

The girl grinned and rolled backward off her Halberd, pulling it up from the ground as she landed. Okay, so she was flexible. That could be very useful, especially with a weapon like that. She offered her hand to him, "I'm Tio. And you?"

The way she had her hand out suggested she was expecting an old time greeting. Of all things, he'd thought it was a fairly useless thing to learn, but he'd gotten it down pat. He got down to one knee and gently grabbed her small soft hand in his larger callous palm before bringing it to his lips for a very brief moment, "My name is Savage Okami. It's a pleasure to meet you.

She wasn't fazed in the slightest. Good, she really was expecting it and he'd done it right then. As the Halberd collapsed into a small rod and hooked onto her waist, she began leading him through the forest. She had a certain swing to her hips. It almost seemed like her curves were too exaggerated for her frame. Was this how that one girl felt yesterday? The one who kept staring at his tail? No no, he had to behave. Savage had to wonder where she was right now. He didn't even know her name. He hoped she would be okay though. It was rare for someone to instantly catch his interest like that. She took an interest in him being a Faunus without being too rude aside from staring. "So Savage?"

His ears twitched as his attention went to Tio, "Hmm?"

She seemed a bit twitchy, "You're a Faunus. I mean, duh, of course you are, you don't even try to hide it. Not that you would want to, but you might from some people. Don't worry though, I'm fine with it! It's just-"

"Tio?"

"Oh god I'm babbling again, aren't I?"

Savage smirked to himself, "Common habit?"

"Only when I get confused. So... Yeah."

"What did you want to know?"

"Oh right! So, you're a Faunus, but all Faunus are mostly human. Do you have, like, animal urges or something? Like cats and laser pens?"

Wow, she might be worse than Shiro and Alan. At least she was straight forward. It was a rather tough question, though. He did, for certain, but not every Faunus did. As for that cat comment, he couldn't even guess that one. "It's, Uh... It's a bit different. Most people get them, but learn to repress them very early. I hope."

"I heard that 'most people' bit."

"Yeah, I'm still figuring it out."

She smiled again as she marched on. Her tight red T-shirt that lacked any kind of sleeve clung to her form and her dark red stockings led up to a sort of black combat skirt or something. He didn't know what was battle attire and what was fashion for women these days. Around her waist was a red hoodie, tightly knotted by the sleeves. Aside from the skirt, everything was rather form fitting. He bet she got plenty of looks in her time, but the clothing choice made sense given her choice of weapon. She glanced at him over her shoulder, "I think we should go this way."

Savage just kept quiet and followed. She seemed to have the plan out of the two of them anyway. He could follow her easily, so keeping his ears open for anything suspicious wasn't hard. "Hello? Tio to Savage."

"Hmm?"

"I said it was your turn to ask something."

"Ask what?"

"I asked something personal, so you can too. Y'know, family, personal traits, bra size, past matters, reasons fo-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, back up. Did you say bra size?"

"Yeah, you'd be amazed how many times people ask that."

Savage felt his jaw drop. "You're saying people randomly ask your bra size?"

"Well, sometimes. It's more common than you think, but I figured I'd get it out of the way. Y'know, being my teammate for the next few years."

That smile of hers was hiding something... Oh, now he got it. Honestly, that was just mean. She was just messing with him, had to be. Savage sighed, picking up his pace. "You really shouldn't tease people like that. I almost took you seriously."

She cast him a look out of the corner of her eye, "You don't wanna know?"

"Well, I didn't say that, but I think I'll earn that answer. Maybe I'll win a bet or something. Just... No more talk of bras until we find that stupid piece. I need to focus."

Tio just smiled again. So she could rip a target in half and make a conversation awkward? Lovely. Who would ever just bring that up? Sure he had trouble with controlling himself, but that was something he learned on day one, never ask invasive questions. Honestly, her bra size? Of all the topics, it had to be that one? Although... No, focus! There was a task at hand and a piece to find. "Uh... Savage?"

"Hmm?"

Tio came to a dead stop, looking directly skyward. She pointed up, "What's that?"

Savage looked to where she was pointing. He knew it alright. The White chitin, the red eyes, the black feathers, and especially the fact it could fly, "That's a Nevermore."

"No, I knew that. I mean those things on its talons."

What? He squinted at the creature. Sure enough, there were two objects hanging off its talons, one red and one white. Before he could speak, the red one dropped. "That... May have been one of our classmates."

"Seriously?"

"And they may have just skydived."

"What?"

"Well it's that or they fell."

"Think we'd have enough time to catch them?"

Savage raised a single eyebrow and turned towards her. There was about a mile and a half between them, maybe more. He was fast, but that wasn't even possible. He was just about to inform her of the unlikely hood they'd make it when a loud boom echoed through the woods. A pillar of smoke erupted from the tree line, masking the Nevermore from view. It was a lot closer than the person falling. He pointed to the column, "Now if you want to check that out, I think that's a bit more in our range."

* * *

There was smoke all around her. She'd simply blinked and it was like everything suddenly combusted. Kurai could feel him, that giant of a man, behind her. The problem was that she was on her back. Nowhere to hide, no way to run. As the smoke began to thin enough for her to see, she got a sudden feeling of dread as the giant was leaned directly over her. He was looking down at her with those piercing white eyes of his. Those eyes never blinked, rarely moved, and we're always contracted into pinprick pupils. Something began moving, almost slithering, across her taunt stomach. She was hesitant to look, but when inevitably she did all she felt was fear. A metal appendage drew quickly across her body, retracting into the man's large sleeves. It looked like a thick metal wire with two pincers at the end. She was fairly unnerved, but it was just a weapon. A really creepy weapon. That being said, what kind of weapon was it? It was featureless aside from the chrome shine and sharp pointed pincers. She looked over to where he'd been before everything exploded. The Grimm pack was no longer there, ripped into various bits and chunks. It was almost nauseating to see such gore. The two men he'd knocked out seemed fine, but they may want a bath when they wake up. Then she looked over to the bushes she'd been hiding it. That area was destroyed beyond recognition. Gashed in the ground, trees seared in half, violent scorch marks littered the ground, and in the epicentre of the destruction were her and that man.

The man let out a "Hmph" sound as he stood up straight. Kurai didn't get up. She expected him to knock her out like he'd done with those two. When he extended his massive hand slowly towards her face, she admittedly flinched. No pain ever came and his arm stopped her own limb's length away. A gravely quiet voice, muffled by his scarf, filled the air, "Seems like you're my partner."

She let that sink in before deciding her next move. It wasn't a long pause, about a second, before she got up on her own. His neutral expression coupled with his stabbing bright eyes stayed locked on her, unblinking. Kurai took a few steps back, trying to get some ground between them. He did not move. The man, after what seemed like hours yet was only seconds, averted his attention to the unconscious duo. With fluid movements, he picked them up before hanging them in the trees. It would have been comical how they hung there like rags out to dry, had they not been knocked out by coming to his aid. Once they were hung a fair distance off the ground, having climbed a fair way up to put them there, his gaze went back to her, "Wounds?"

"What?"

"Wounds? Are you hurt?"

Her eyes wider a bit. No, she wasn't. Whatever had happened, whatever exploded, it hadn't even scratched her or the two currently in the tree. "Uh, no. You?"

The man raised his own right arm for inspection, then his left. Seeming satisfied, he lowered them and shook his head. Kurai put her sickles away only to realise she still had them even after that big boom. She counted it as luck and that she'd pay for it later. The man approached until he was about two yards away, "Your name?"

"Kurai. Yours?"

He stayed quiet for a moment, almost like he ignored her, before speaking with a darker tone, "I am Reave."

That was one name she felt shouldn't exist. That was a name coated in blood, even if she couldn't tell who's. Who would call their kid Reave? She was so busy thinking about what to do in this dead silence and about his name that she didn't notice two people getting closer until she could very clearly hear them approaching. Reave assumed his stance again and Kurai retrieved her sickles once more as two people erupted from the brush.

It was that wolf boy again, who was quickly followed by a woman slightly smaller than herself. The wolf was carrying a large sword, angled at the ground in a passive sort of hold, while the girl following him brandished a Halberd. The wolf locked eyes with Reave, but the girl let out a sigh of relief, "Oh good, we missed the party."

That was a new one. Usually people are upset to miss a fight. Kurai was actually pretty glad to have not done any real fighting herself. The wolf took a second to examine the scene, "What happened?"

Reave remained quiet. He just stood there, watching the wolf. There was something in the air, a silent communication between them, but it didn't look like the wolf was getting any part of it. Kurai returned her sickles to her hairbands as she spoke, "Beowolves. They were everywhere, but Reave here managed to deal with it."

The wolf looked around again, "Hell of a way to deal with it. Either of you hurt?"

"No, we're fine."

The girl smiled brightly, "Great! C'mon Savage, we still need to find that thing that fell."

The wolf, apparently going by Savage, nodded before looking at Reave, "Nevermore went that way. It dropped something that looked a lot like a person. Wanna come check it out?"

Reave said nothing. Instead, he looked to Kurai, fixing his gaze upon her. Savage did the same, shifting his weight to one foot and crossing his arms. They were both waiting for her response. The way he'd indicated was the area she'd planned to look for these damn objects anyway. Plus this may be her only chance to be near this Faunus again. "Sure."

Reave, in his constant neutrality, knelt down with his back to her, "Get on. We can move faster."

Kurai took a step forward and put a hand on his head, "I'm not getting on your back. We can just walk."

Reave said nothing as he stood up. He was probably right, but that was just weird! They hadn't even known each other for five minutes. Reave pointed to the trees ahead, "That way?"

"Yeah, that way."

"Beowolves went that way. Could find them later down. You walk with me, just in case."

Savage just nodded and took his position, waving to his companion, "C'mon Tio."

It probably wasn't anything serious, but it was a good gesture. Reave might just really want to fight and see what Savage could do. Either way, they were a damn good pair to have out in front. They managed to walk for a full thirty minutes without being jumped by Grimm, a new record. That was probably because they'd found others to stalk. Howls and gunfire echoed from all corners of the forest, making her wonder if everyone would survive this initiation. Obviously Savage and Reave would, just look at those two, but everyone else? She just didn't know. Most were standing their ground in fights, but a few were retreating here and there. What could push them back that far though? Maybe a Deathstalker? But there were only three of those in the area and one of them was down in a ravine.

Everyone was silent as they carried on down the path. Kurai took the time to examine them all in depth starting with the woman next to her. Tio, he'd called her. She came up to Kurai's shoulder, but had a few more curves to her whereas Kurai was a bit more muscular, lacking anything too eye catching. Sure her chest was a fair size and her backside and waist were nothing to scoff at, but her toned body took some of the softness meat men looked for. Some, not all. Besides, she had herself wrapped tightly most of the time. While Kurai's black tank top was form fitting and durable, Tio's red top was a bit loose to accommodate her... Assets. The girl's skirt was almost to her knee, but it was made not to restrict movement. Kurai's black shorts, riddled with holes, didn't quite feel as freeing, but there was less chance of getting caught on something. She had to admire her red stockings though. Of all things, Kurai was envious of those. She looked down at her own scarred legs.

_The scars of battle! She is weak. You will survive._

She didn't want to hear the whispers' pep talk right now. She knew she was strong, but sometimes she didn't want to be strong. She wanted to be normal. A normal girl with normal clothes, a normal body, a normal life, and a normal boyfriend. Yes, she'd spent many hours imagining if she'd had one. Hell, he doesn't event have to be normal! She'd had enough excitement for six people in her life, so it was high time for some normality, right? Right?

"Hey, you okay?"

Kurai looked up to see Savage glancing over his shoulder at her. His two different colored eyes conveyed different emotions, but there was something else hidden in all that color, she just couldn't place it. The red eye conveyed his ferocious personality and protective concern, but the brown said he was patient and fatherly. Since both held concern, she could tell it was genuine. He just gave off that kind of aura around him. She nodded and smiled. He gave her a concerned look, clearly not convinced, but after a few seconds of hesitation, turned away. She took this perfect opportunity to look him over just as thoroughly as she did Tio. He wasn't wearing that thick jacket he had yesterday, but he still wore his grey T-shirt and sweats that hung off his waist. His dulled silver gauntlets reflected light as it shined through the canopy. Clearly they were old, but he'd kept them in working order. His broad shoulders seemed exaggerated by the gauntlets, yet it seemed appropriate since he carried himself with a distinctly forceful gait, almost as if he intended to go through the next thing to get in his way be it Grimm or a tree. His salt and pepper hair stood out the most as light was caught by the white strands scattered throughout it, but that was just how it was right down to his tail. Speaking of, the tail hung close, coming down to his knee, and did very little movement, trying not to give much of a target to anyone. All in all, he looked...dependable? Maybe experienced was a better word.

Satisfied with her analysis, she moved her gaze to Reave, who was walking right in front of her. He was huge, had to be close to seven foot tall if not just under. His black hair hid a lot of his features and what was left was cover by his scarf and coat. She almost thought he was hiding under all that. His skin was paler than Savage's but darker than either her's or Tio's. He was the definition of a burly man, heavy set and bigger than anyone. His coat, being more than likely older than dirt, had seen some action judging simply by the marks, stray threads, and slight rip in the left cuff. He wore generic matching pants that had no brand name whatsoever, looking as equally weathered as his coat. To finish off his odd appearance, black boots meant for hiking. She could just barely see his black gloved hand as he walked. His eyes were an unnatural solid white with pinprick pupils at all times. He was either on drugs or something else was going on. He wasn't very talkative either, adding to the whole Psycho theme he was sporting. He was the most mysterious of all of them, but she'd seen first hand that he doesn't care who gets involved. By sheer luck or whim, he had left Savage and Tio intact.

They carried on in silence, not that she was paying any attention, until snarling broke her away from her thoughts. They were surrounded. Again. By Beowolves. Again. Despite the fear that gripped her chest, Kurai couldn't help but be annoyed at the encounter rate in these woods. She's gone for one day and the whole forest has a free for all!

In a moment of panic, she began to climb the nearest tree. Tio was quick to follow as a Beowolf snapped at her legs. They climbed high into the tree until they were safe enough to avoid getting dragged down before looking to the two men. Reave's stone like back was pressed against Savage's own taunt spine. If this wasn't a life or death situation, she'd want a picture of that... Until the giant's entire body began crawling from inside the coat as if he had a hundred small animals inside. He flicked his wrists downward, From his sleeves erupted two metal cylinders with sharpened tips. They moved and writhed as if they were sentient with no limitations, twisting and turning in mid air, coiling back on itself. As for Savage, his right gauntlet seemed to surge down his arm, scraping and clicking as they fastened into place, forming the sword from before. A frame extended from the forearm of his left as the metal crawled along until it formed a kite shield looking object. Reave narrowed his eyes as he swung his arms in a whip like fasion. The metal appendages connected with the ground violently, sending dirt and rocks flying into the air. None of the Grimm stood a chance. He brought the appendages back into the air and began a horizontal swing, "Savage, down!"

Savage, in a similar battlefield trance, ducked as the whips whizzed over his head, swatting half the pack aside like bugs. The moment they cleared him, Savage leapt from the ground and positioned his shield downward. The hunk of metal disengaged from the gauntlet's frame as he positioned both feet against the inside. He came down hard on a single Grimm, making sure the jagged edges pierced its hide. He took a couple swings with his blade at those around him, hacking away even when the Grimm around him were dead. It was odd, but she could have sworn he was holding back.

Kurai just looked out in awe as they fought off Grimm from both ends. Savage carved away like a professional knight in armor and Reave became his own personal storm of destruction, the whips flailing in every direction. Tio stood up on the thin branches that could somehow support her and climbed further up the tree as her Halberd's blade split in two, moving the pieces to the end of the staff. The end farthest bent at a right angle and three little spikes appeared above an opening at the end. Her halberd had become a rifle and a high-caliber one by the looks of it. She was setting up a sniper position. Everyone was playing a part, but what could Kurai do? Her bow didn't work during the day and there weren't enough trees to use the shade. She could go down there, but she'd get in the way. The way Savage and Reave were fighting... They weren't even careful of each other, they were just really good at dodging each other's attacks. Well, they weren't partners, but you'd think they'd hold some concern for fellow huntsmen. Maybe it was a Faunus thing. Savage was a Faunus and Reave never showed enough of his body to be sure. Maybe they knew each other long ago and didn't like the other. That seemed even more ridiculous. If she hopped down in the middle of them, the crossfire of those two alone would kill her before any stupid Grimm would.

There was a loud crack above her as Tio's rifle went off. It didn't even surprise the fighters when the Grimm she'd aimed for was ripped apart. Kurai just had to sit there until the fight was over. Well, at least there wasn't any real danger, and the sight of those two wasn't half bad. Look at them go! It was insane to watch them. Reave swept his arms in fluid motions, smacking them aside, only to end with a whipping motion that would rip the ground apart. Savage... Didn't look right. His teeth were bared in an animalistic fashion and his tail was lifted. She even caught a glimpse of his face. Wait... Were both his eyes red? She could have sworn only one should have been.

* * *

Shit, no good. He was close, so very close. Just a bit more blood, a few more hits, even a cut or two, and he'd be there. He'd go Feral. Savage swung his blade again, cutting down an Ursa in a single swift blow and before he knew it, the fight was over. He was covered in blood, it practically dyed his shirt red. The smell of rotten flesh, hot iron, and aged milk all combined into one thick scarlet liquid that was the life fluid of a Grimm. It was darker and thicker than normal blood, but that just made killing Grimm all the sweeter. He felt his rage slowly crawl back into the darker corners of his mind and his eyes turned back to normal. They had a habit of both turning bright red instead of one. His heavy breathing was the only sound now. He looked over his shoulder to Reave, who was barely even splattered with any blood, yet he had a fair few more corpses around him. Savage almost asked to see his whips just to see the gore they were coated in, yet managed to refrain from that. A few more breaths, a few more seconds, and he was back within reasonable mental boundaries. He needed to get away from this glorious mess before he went right back. Kurai and Tio leapt down from the trees, regrouping with the two men. Reave was the first to speak, "You fight well. You take good care of your weapons."

Savage smiled at him with a wary look in his eyes. There was still the real threat of him going Feral and he wanted to talk weapons? Might as well return the favor, "Yeah? Those whips of yours are no joke either."

Reave went quiet again, a slightly pleased look in those insanely creepy white eyes. Tio slugged him playfully in the arm, "Nice going, Pup. I thought you were a full grown wolfie there."

Savage placed his arm on top if her head and leaned on her, "Well, with aim like that, I thought I had a normal sized human watching after me."

"Ouch, pup."

"What? Low blow?"

"Now that's just mean."

Savage ruffled her hair as he and Reave began walking again. That is, until Kurai caught up to him and put her hand on Reave's upper arm, "Hey Reave. Good, Uh, good job."

Reave just stared at her for a few seconds before walking. Kurai tried to keep that forced cheerful look, but it soon gave way to a sigh of failure. Savage suppressed the stupid grin on his face before asking, "What was that?"

She shifted her weight to one foot and put her hand on her hip, "I was trying to brighten him up a bit. Like Tio did with you."

Tio walked passed and put a hand on Kurai's other hip, causing Savage to raise an eyebrow. That was not a casual placement, not that he was complaining. Tio casually spoke despite her hand placement, "Just leave that to me. I'm a natural optimist."

He looked at Tio, noticed she only came up to his chest, then he looked to Reave, who was much taller. "Think you can reach?"

Without skipping a beat, "Maybe if I got on your back."

He'd walked into that one. Before he could decide to concede, she jumped up and latched onto his back with her legs coiled around his waist, "Onward, my noble steed!"

Savage began shaking back and forth in an attempt to shake her loose, "Who the hell are you calling a steed?! Get off me!"

She was about to go off, her legs were losing their perch, but then she grabbed onto his hair and readjusted, "Easy, boy! You don't have reigns yet."

"Ow ow ow! Let go!"

"Forward, march."

"Okay okay, just let go of my hair."

Savage had a small grin as he began walking forward. He used to do this with Shiro all the time. She'd get so happy when she could reach the lower branches of an apple tree that grew near their house. Those were truly the good times. In fact, this reminded him so much of what his mother would do. She'd done the same thing for him when he was a wee pup. He quickly got lost in his memories as he kept pace for Tio and Reave. Eventually, Reave spoke directly to him, "Savage?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you an... Odd question?"

Savage raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. Reave barely spoke, so it was probably something insane, "I temper my sense of decency."

"What does love mean?"

Savage went wide eyed, his mouth parting slightly to exhale. Ho-ly shit. That question had knocked the wind out of him, "Easy now, we just met. You trying to make a joke or something?"

Those white eyes locked into his, "I'm afraid I'm serious. They said I would love it here, but I don't know what that feels like or what causes it. They've said it about so many things, but I've never witnessed it."

Alright, think! Savage composed himself the best he could before looking to Reave, "Oh boy, I'll be honest, it's different for everyone. For some, it's finding that significant other, maybe it's someone you know will never leave you in the dark. For others it has lesser meanings, like a quick fling or something good for all the wrong reasons. I don't know, ask my sister. She could tell you better."

Those creepy white eyes rolled in their sockets to face him, "I see. I will then. May I ask what it means to you?"

He went quiet again, his ears dropping and a sad smile to act as his mask, "I'll be honest here, I don't want to talk about this. Can it wait a while?"

Reave gave him a solid nod. It would seem they were bonding. Well, as much as these two oddballs could. Savage let out a breath. He didn't think Reave had half the words he'd used in his vocabulary, yet alone that kind of question, but the giant surprised him. Honestly though, there's something wrong here. Something dark, rooted as firmly as his own demons if not more so. And Reave... He may just have the worst demons hiding right behind those bright white windows. Savage was casting him a worried look, but eventually he looked back to Kurai, who was falling behind only slightly to give them privacy. She had an odd air about her, like she's made a truce with her past, promising not to bother one another. How long would that last? Then this chick on his back, Tio. She was very direct, but he felt that was just a diversion to take focus off of something else. These people, these... Misfits, all had something black in their hearts and he was no exception. His first and final thought on the matter was simple. If they try hurt Shiro, it wouldn't matter what they had in their hearts, he'd rip them out!

As they approached a clearing with a large stone ruin in the center and a ravine to the far right, he instantly noticed there were other students gathered and talking to one another. However, once again proving to be an annoyance to the group, Beowolves and Ursa stood in the way. Savage sighed loudly as Tio hopped off his back, "God damn it."


	3. Chapter 3

HITS: So I've been away for a while, I know. I got hit with depression pretty bad and only recently found the will to write again. I'll start working on the favorites more too so maybe we can see more of them. This chapter was the closest to done, so I finished it up and here it is. Please let me know if you want to see more or ideas to give me. Cheers.

-Two years ago-

He could see them, stalking the edges of their land. Their red eyes flashing briefly in the night as the stone raged. The rain came down like a hurricane had past by and the thunder did little to help their situation. With each flash of lightning, he could see more and more shapes gathering along the perimeter he'd set. They never inched closer, never dared take a step past that invisible line. They'd seen what happened to the rest. Just because it worked before meant little now though, he hadn't renewed it since the last time they tried.

'_It's way too early for this shit_.' Savage thought to himself with a snarl. It was almost two in the morning for crying out loud!

One of them raised their head and let out a howl. He could hear it through the storm and even the walls. Let it be known that Savage knew the various sounds and shapes to go along with the Grimm collection, his upbringing made sure of that, so he knew straight away that an Alpha had come out to play.

'Great, now I gotta kill him in the morning too.'

The wolf's ears twitched as he heard the stairs creak slightly. He didn't even need to turn to know his sister was awake, "Savage... I hear them."

"Go back to bed, Shiro. You know they can't get in."

It wasn't a lie. Even if they surrounded the house, he'd been sure to cover it in the same defence that went along the tree line and these were renewed bi-daily. Only problem was that he'd have to deal with them later.

"Can't you go deal with them? Y'know, do your thing?"

Really?

Savage rolled his eyes. "Hey, huntress-in-training. Take a look outside. It's dark and raining. No hunter worth his salt would step out there when he can't see or hear all his opponents. If no hunter is going out there, I think I'll sit inside where it's warm and dry thanks."

Shiro stomped her foot, "Savage Sullivan Okami, you are more than capable of dealing with them right now!"

Well, she wasn't wrong. His Faunus heritage let him see much better than the average Huntsman. It wasn't perfect, but he could clearly see things that were fairly far out. Add that to all his other tricks and he was set for fight night. He could think of plenty of problems with that idea, more than actually existed, but the big one that kept him away from such a thing was that he'd been trying to avoid using his abilities. Aura, Semblance, all of it made him feel as though he were losing his mind, slowly shutting off each and every thought until nothing remained but his unending rage and blood lust. If he could ever get control of it for more than a few minutes at a time then he'd have used it much more, but his longest time before near insanity was roughly six minutes. Too long in a fight and it was hard to come back. That's exactly why his dad gave him this awful name.

It wasn't his real name, not the one on his birth certificate, but his old man had signed and changed every record he could after a little incident when he was four years old. That little stunt got him abandoned in the woods for two weeks.

'_Think I still have that map I made somewhere._'

Savage was brought back from his memories as Shiro grabbed his hand and hugged it close to her chest. He could feel her heartbeat. A controlled but excited rhythm shook his arm. He brought her around to his front and let his arms hang around her. She seemed to calm down only slightly, but it was a start. Savage eyed his mother's gauntlets on the wall above the little serving window to the kitchen, freshly cleaned from the last time he dealt with a pest problem. He'd have to dirty them again. Oh if his mother could see him now, man of the house defending his little sister from literally everything that looked her way. Would she be proud? Happy? Or maybe even upset? There was no way of knowing.

"I wish I was a Faunus."

His ears perked up as he looked at his sister's reflection. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning back a little more. Savage brushed a stray hair away from her face. "What makes you say that?"

"If I was, then everything would be better. I could see in the dark, hear stuff better, and dad wouldn't be such a-"

"Ah-ah! Only adults swear in this house."

"I was gonna say jerk!"

"Oh like hell you were."

Shiro smiled a moment, lost in the laughter before they had to come back to reality. She closed her eyes again and moved his arm up to rest on her collar bone. Savage, however, kept his eyes wide open.

Something had just moved outside the window.

Something big.

Savage gave Shiro a nudge towards the stairs. "Alright, kiddo. Get back to bed. You have school in a few hours after all."

"You're still making me go?"

"Damn right I am. Tomorrow's Friday anyway, weekend is right around the corner."

Hell no he wasn't, but he needed to deal with that big one right now. It was best she not see it or else she'd try and help. Shiro frowned at the window, the creature no longer there. Savage kept a wandering eye out for it as she spun to face him.

"Then why not just let me stay home and make it a three-day weekend?"

"Your friend is coming over right? That Rose girl? Well I need to get this place ready for guests. Either help me with the chores or go to school. You're choice."

"You so take after dad."

"Yeah, yeah, get to bed."

He watched her head up the stairs and waited until he heard her door shut before he moved. Even then he only took a few quiet steps towards the door. He thanked whatever god was listening for making him replace the hinges last week as he opened the door without a sound.

A hot puff of air hit his face.

An Ursa, standing on its hind legs amidst the clearing of charcoal coloured vegetation and looking a bit more evil than most, was glaring at him not two yards from the porch. So close to the source of their protection, the think looked drunk and hungover at the same time, wobbling side to side and looking nauseous. It would have been amusing if not for the fact it was here in the first place. It managed to stagger its way through the Aura field and to the centre of its power. Savage wasn't sure if it could do much else, swaying like it was. What he did know was that fighting this thing would be quick and painless, but the noise would draw more. Where there was one...

Instead of reaching for the nearest weapon, he stepped just outside the door, and put his hand against the symbol carved into the cold wood long ago. The symbol, the top half of a heart transitioning into a twin spiral further down, was an old family secret passed down by his mother which he'd maintained since her passing almost five years ago. The symbol itself had no power whatsoever, but it could act as a conduit for someone's Aura. When properly fuelled, the field it created would fend off Grimm better than any wall ever could with only the strongest and oldest able to gain any ground in it. The only problem was that the amount it needed to work exceeded any normal human's capacity. Three normal people could dump everything they had into it and it wouldn't be enough. That's what made it his birthright.

His blood on his mother's side, the Original Okami lineage, had a trait to it that increased Aura production to the point the body wasn't able to hold most of it, resulting in outward appearance changes and the excess being expelled in combat during times of heightened emotional or mental states. It was useful. It was how he fought as well as he did and was nearly tailor made for his Semblance.

With the slightest provocation, a flood of Aura as black as the Ursa's hide flowed into the carving like water into a sinkhole. It didn't take long to reach capacity. The symbol became darker, now clearly visible if only because it was darker than the night itself as it went into a sort of overdrive. The Ursa was forced to its knees, unable to right itself and only getting worse. First its eyes went dark, no longer filled with red, only an endless abyss. It started huffing as though it was in the middle of a marathon, attempting to turn around and find its way out.

Savage simply leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed as the creature began dry heaving as it ran in various directions, doubling back every few meters as if it had forgotten just how large this clearing was. It was blind and stupid. As its pace slowed to a literal crawl, a black liquid began to flow from its eyes, nose, ears, and even its mouth, painting the already black lawn even darker. It was a side effect of the symbol. Within five minutes, the beast stopped moving. Another minute and it stopped breathing. Two more and it began to dissolve into nothing.

'Ten minutes. That's a new record.'

* * *

-Present Day-

Savage glared right up the snout of the Beowolf in front of him. It just glared back at him. Less than four inches separated them, each behaving like a rabid animal as if it was a contest. The Grimm finally gave in, its time up as it slid off his blade and onto the ground with a thud. Savage just whipped his weapon round and slit its throat before the plates broke apart and crawled back up his arms, pinching a few hairs along the way.

His expression calmed into what was little more than annoyance as he surveyed the carnage. Grimm corpses everywhere, Reave breaking the back of another over his knee, a young girl in a bronze armour get up sticking any that had yet to dissolve with a spear, and himself among the dead. They were hunting any of the pack that had simply faked their death.

It was going well, no one had gotten hurt and this fight had been a cakewalk. Only when he felt the air leave his lungs and the world go sideways did he realise what the real danger was.

"Sully!" A high pitched squeal ripped through the sullen silence.

His entire world was flipped on its axis as familiar rose petals floated to the ground.

'_You're joking..._'

He couldn't believe it. Shiro's one true friend, the only person to ever come to their home without ulterior motive, was here.

"Ruby?! Ruby Rose? What are you doing here?"

The pale young teen smiled up at him with more than a hint or pride mixed with relief, "I got accepted!"

Ruby Rose, Shiro's best friend and a frequent visitor. Savage became well acquainted with her and her family over the past two years. She'd come by at least once a week and never outstayed her welcome. She'd come the first time without permission and that had caused an uproar between the Faunus and her father, Tai Yang. It was no secret that Savage lived in the woods where Grimm damn near roamed free and when he found out where she'd gone? Uhg, it was still a vivid memory.

It took a month and a half to convince the man it was safe by literally making a series of paths through the woods to their home and the school. Not to mention he had to show the man that his defences really worked. Even so, Ruby was never to show up unescorted. She always had either Tai Yang, Shiro, or her older sister with her. Then it was up to him to entertain whoever had come with her. To say family relations improved would be an understatement. By the end of the first year, Tai would try to set up play days for the two girls so the two of them could bitch and moan about being single parents. Brother or not, Savage was the father of the household and everyone was well aware of it.

Needless to say the two girls got along well and aside from using his middle name instead she'd always been polite and quiet. He almost thought she'd been scared of him. At times it seemed like only Tai trusted him with his daughter. Hell, even the older sister didn't trust him. That was fine though. He was a teenager.

Savage honestly felt bad for forgetting about her when they left. Shiro would probably lose her damn mind once she found out her best friend was here. Thankfully it wouldn't be his house they'd be destroying this time.

"Accepted? Aren't you, I don't know, two years younger than Shiro?"

"They made an exception." She said with a smile. Geez, she was honestly glad to be here. He knew they were training to be accepted into places like this, but for her to get in at such a young age? He was surprised she could even sit still.

"Y'know, Shiro's out here somewhere. She got in too."

"She did?!"

"Oh yeah, couldn't keep her away if I wanted to. Now unless your sister ran off with some guy and married into a fortune, I think you might want to get off me."

In the old days, she'd get all flustered and scramble off him in a mess of twitching limbs fighting for a grip on nearly anything that wasn't a part of him. She still got all embarrassed, but there was much less stuttering and flailing as she righted herself. She even helped him up. She'd gotten much stronger.

Savage dusted his shirt off and looked around, "Great. No that's good. Did Yang-"

"Hey Sully."

"Course she did."

He gave a pitiful glance in Yang's general direction, avoiding her eyes at all costs. Their history was... messy. Long story short, he saw something he shouldn't have and she punched something she shouldn't have. Either way, it wasn't his fault, wasn't hers either. It was just one of those moments that happened to make things really uneasy between them. Of course neither of them told Ruby and tried to play it off whenever she was near, but they suspected she knew.

Yang sauntered up to him and gave him a slug to the arm which almost seemed playful. "So what's an old dog like you doing here? Didn't you devote your life to parenthood?"

Savage gave her a half hearted punch back. "She got accepted on the grounds I go too. Guess I finally got that vacation."

"And you're spending it here? You're not one for good choices are you?"

A bark of distress drew their attention away from their friendly banter. Reave had found one. He'd zeroed in on a Beowolf that had been crawling towards him in a last ditch effort to fight him. Say what you want, but Grimm were well known for their mindless determination as much as their unprejudiced hate for literally everything. It ripped and clawed at his leg as his heel drove into its chest, pinning it to the earth. Reave showed no sign of pain from what little of his face could be seen and having since met the guy, Savage would bet that he didn't feel it. Reave's heel pressed sharply into its chest, bringing a short yelp and the crack of a shattered rib cage.

It stopped moving.

Savage found himself silently thanking Reave for being quick about it. He couldn't promise that he'd have been as merciful. Still, it was done. Now all he had to do is escape this reunion, find those damn objects, and get back to the cliff before things got weird.

"So how'd Shiro get in? I didn't think you'd let her take the entry exam."

"I..."

Oh shit the bed...

The look of suspicion and mild anger crawled across his features as his eyes narrowed. How did he never notice it before?! "I didn't. Ozpin showed up at our door one day and started asking for her. She never submitted a thing, not even a letter."

"Heh, yeah. He does that." Ruby chuckled as she idly kicked a rock.

"Hmm? You know something?"

Yang stepped in and threw her sister into a light headlock. "Yeah, this little troublemaker tried to fight off a couple goons robbing a Dust store. She got detained!"

The image of little Ruby in handcuffs and an orange jumper crossed his mind. A small grin emerged on his lips. "You're kidding. Tell me you took pictures."

"I wish. Next thing I know I hear Ozpin comes in and offers her a spot at his school. My little sister skipped two whole years!"

So Ozpin had a habit of scouting talent eh? It made sense, but how the hell did he hear about her? She never did anything to make her name travel and he certainly didn't brag about her.

"You look like you're gonna hurt somebody."

"You have no idea." Savage snarled.

He just needed to know who had told Ozpin about her. No one but himself had ever seen her fight, not even the teachers. Who spread the word?

Who could have...

Who co...

Who...

Savage lost his train of thought entirely as a hand began running through his hair right between his canine ears. He was swaying slightly as Yang tries her hardest to reach without rubbing herself on him. "There we go, big guy, no murder today."

'_Times like this I hate myself._'

He had one hell of a debate with himself to decide his next action. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good one in his book. After ten continuous seconds of standing there like an idiot, he moved away from her caress. She knew his weakness and just how to hit it.

"Y'know, I don't think I've ever seen you fight before. You hold up pretty well, Sully."

And we're back.

Savage narrowed his eyes slightly, "Probably because the only time a fight happened when you were over I locked you three in the cellar. And would you just use my first name?"

"Nope."

Figures. They never liked his name. Neither did he come to think of it, but he couldn't just ignore it. It was as much a part of him as his tail was. His middle name would have to suffice. Besides, he only let three people call him that and they were the closest anyone could be to him. His only real worry was that the rest of them would call him that if they heard.

He cast a wary look to at Tio. She seemed most likely to do it. At least she would be if she wasn't busy with that white haired girl. The two seemed to be arguing at a level too low for him to hear from that distance. He could tell from their faces though that something was going on and it wasn't pretty. How could Tio start an argument? She seemed so friendly. Then again, maybe that other one did.

Ruby caught his attention with a nudge, "So did you find a partner yet?"

"Uh, yeah. She's over there." He said with a jab of his thumb.

It didn't take Yang long to zero in on his buxom partner. Her jaw fell open. "Her?"

"Yup."

"The redhead?"

"Yeah."

"The stacked one arguing with Weiss?"

"Yeah, that's her. Wait, did you say Weiss? As in spoiled rich girl Weiss? A Schnee?"

Yang crossed her arms, "Yup, her. I'm starting to figure out why you get so angry at them. All they do is whine and get all snobby. And you'll never guess who she's partnered with."

"It's Ruby isn't it?"

"Wha- okay, how?"

"I went with the one who looked most miserable."

Ruby tried to hide her face in her hood, but that didn't do much to save her embarrassment. Savage looked back to the two arguing girls, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl pointed their way. He really wanted to know what could spark Tio's temper. For him it was easy, just start talking about his mother or sister and he'd lose it. But for her? No clue.

He knew of the Schnees. Hell, he technically still worked for them. They were rich snobs, mostly, but he did admit Winter had been much more tolerable. It was best to be very careful when talking to these people or he'd be out of a job.

Past them, Kurai was walking back to Savage, a small smile and equally small wave to him once he noticed her. He could see one or two people watching her walk, probably caught off guard by how beat up her clothes are. He'd offer to sew them later. She gave off that innocent little girl vibe that reminded him of the early years back home. It was hard not to smile at her.

"Well, the reunion's been fun, but a Grimm infested forest isn't my favorite place to be. I think we best start looking for those artifacts."

Ruby started hopping up and down like a kid trying to grab a teacher's attention. "Ooh, ooh! We know where it is!"

"You do? Alright, where at?"

"Ten minutes, uh, that way!" She said with a pose and pointed finger in a random direction. When no one stepped up to help her, she pointed a different direction, "That way! No? Okay, um, how about this way?"

After a few minutes of just staring at her as she used nearly every direction but up or down, Yang finally stepped in, "You had it the fifth time, Rubes. Yeah, it's over there."

Savage smiled a little as Ruby began fussing over how she'd embarrassed herself yet again. Honestly, it was always funny to watch her fumble about while red in the face. It was almost endearing.

It didn't take much longer for Kurai and eventually Reave to close in around him, each being introduced to his old friends. Reave didn't offer much in conversation, which was fine, no one expected him to. He just stood there silently, watching their interactions like he was studying for an exam. Kurai was much more well received with both Ruby and Yang fawning over her hair.

"How do you keep it so straight?

"It's so shiny and soft looking."

The sudden attention seemed to fry her ability to speak as she just nodded without meeting any eyes. Savage didn't exactly bother saving her,it was kinda cute to watch, but when she went dead silent he felt like he didn't have a choice. "So that way, right Ruby?"

The little reaper hid her face again, punching him in the rib with a pout that made him laugh. "Ouch, alright. Just teasing, kiddo. Well, I guess we'll see you after this."

Yang offered up a high five, which he accepted. "We're gonna have a lot of catching up to do. You'll make dinner right?"

"Only if you don't ruin your appetite like last time."

With their banter mostly to a close and most his team gathered, Savage went to save his partner from the Schnee. It looked like whatever argument was going on was reaching its crescendo by the time he got there. Both stopped talking and glared at him as though he were an intruder. Savage almost felt the rage coming from them. Still, he wasn't about to be intimidated. "Tio! Hey, I figured out where the artifacts are. C'mon, we can wrap this up in the hour."

Tio didn't seem too thankful for his interference, but she cast a glare to the heiress and quickly brushed past him, "Good, this place reeks of a rich bitch."

Savage watched her go for a moment before turning to Weiss. She was just as pale as her sister if not more so. Her white hair was certainly longer, but he found it amusing that no one told her where that ponytail was supposed to go. He took note of the scar on her left eye. It was a small thing, no bigger or longer than his ring finger, but it was enough for him to say she wasn't a stranger to a fight. Unless she got it by falling down some stairs for wearing the wrong heels at the wrong time. Ha, now that would be funny.

'_God I'm a bastard sometimes._'

Deciding it'd be best not to piss off his boss's daughter, he went with the mannered approach. "Miss Schnee, something wrong between you two?"

He'd have preferred to not interact with her at all, but his curiosity and urge to end his partner's foul mood drove him to it. The look she gave him went from annoyed to disgust once she saw his ears and tail. It always hurt to be judged like that, but he'd learned to ignore it for the most part.

"It's none of your business and I'll thank you to leave me alone, mutt."

'_Bitch say what_?'

He couldn't help his eye twitch, but his response was more controlled, "Please, Miss, just a bit of human in the mix. I'm hardly a mutt for that."

He made sure to add that part with extra disdain, just for her. She seemed to catch it too, narrowing her eyes at him. Savage took a step closer, broadening his shoulders only slightly, "If you'd be so kind, refrain from upsetting my friend. I'll be the one dealing with her afterwards anyway."

She just sneered at him as he walked away after Tio. When he caught up to her, she gave him a fleeting glance and grabbed his metal encased hand, "Come."

Savage leaned opposite her, bringing her to a dead halt, "We gotta tell Reave too."

"We're not leaving yet. I just have to talk to you real quick."

Savage knew her type already. She'd act like everything was fine until she got caught worrying about it. She was the kind of girl who'd reveal some things to keep others secret. He'd seen their fight, so she probably wanted to talk to him about that specifically.

Savage let himself be dragged into a corner-ish area. He crossed his arms and stood with his legs shoulder width apart like he did when Shiro fucked up. He didn't plan on scolding her, far from it for making a Schnee angry, but it was his default for situations like this.

Tio looked around to ensure no one was coming. She didn't seem to care about the stray gazes so long as they were out of earshot. Pleased with the result, she put another foot of space between them and whispered, "You were nice to her."

Savage kept his face neutral and his answer tame. "I was. I work in one of their factories back home; job's waiting for me to come back. A wise man once said: "You can piss off your boss, but do not piss off the daughter."

Tio nodded at his answer, "You're protecting your job."

She seemed to accept it and leaned against a tree, "So... my last name is Elemia."

Savage stood there, unchanged in the slightest. After a minute he just shrugged, "I have no idea who you are."

That seemed to lift her up a bit, the vague hints of a smile tugging at her lips, "Seriously? Huh, guess that's a good thing. The Elemia family was in direct competition with the Schnees for over a decade. Five years ago, we found other industries and surrendered the Dust business to them to pursue other markets. Long story short, we don't play nice."

That made sense. Business rivals were rarely friendly with each other. Even so, Savage had to ask. "If you two hate each other so much, why talk to her at all?"

"I didn't. She recognized me. She thought she'd intimidate me or get some info or hell if I know what runs through her head, but that was a failure. She just got on my nerves, that's all."

Savage let his arms fall as he shifted his weight to one foot. "So you're part of some high society family and she doesn't like competition?"

Tio just looked at him with a wide-eyed expression, "That's, uh, yeah, that's a really simplified version of it."

"Would you be offended if I said I don't care?"

"A little, honestly."

Savage closed the gap a little. This was all she wanted? She just wanted to explain the fight? He didn't give a rat's ass about who was part of what as long as they pulled together when it counted. There were only two groups in his mind, family and everyone else. The real question would be how many would make it to the family circle. "Sorry, but I don't care in the slightest. My father is the CEO of Wolf's Head Industries. I've had enough high and mighty crap for one life, thanks."

"Wolf's Hea... wait a damn minute! Didn't they help make that floating stadium for the Vytal Festival?"

"You know it, but that's enough about that. C'mon, let's go. I've got a date tonight."

"Wait what?"

* * *

"I must admit, your son is quite strong." Ozpin remarked to his guest.

The woman in question sat beside him in folding chair she'd brought for herself. She was tall, coming up to his chest while sitting down, and was just a little above him on her feet. She wore black flats, matching pants that looked suitable for a business meeting, and a maroon coloured top that covered her torso minus the sleeves. Her black hair was pulled neatly back into a ponytail that seemed to just tickle her shoulder blades. Her dark, sun kissed skin contrasted greatly with her chilling white eyes. Her smile, however, was so gentle and heartwarming that Ozpin was making a conscious effort to ignore it.

"Please Ozpin, he's not my son. I've told you this, he's my nephew."

"Ah, right. My mistake. Still, you must be very proud, Miss Irosa."

"Would you blame me if I wished he was normal? No power, no strength, just a normal boy?"

Ozpin had to raise an eyebrow at that. Sure, some parents were less than pleased that their child had volunteered to fight monsters notorious for ripping people to shreds, but it was certainly rare. Glynda, standing patiently beside him with the surveillance pad, gestured to the scene on the display. The two groups began to split up with Savage's team of four heading off in the direction of the pieces. The rest were making their way back to the cliff face.

"Ozpin? That boy... who is that?"

Ozpin had Glynda zoom in on the group, "His name is Savage Okami, a wolf Faunus I believe."

"Fascinating. Do you see it? There, his hair! It changes colours. How curious."

"Yes, Mr. Okami is a very unique individual. They all are. Believe it or not, I was actually thinking of manipulating the team rosters so he could be with him instead. Very few people could do what he has. Your nephew is in very capable hands, I assure you."

Miss Irosa folded her hands in her lap. She looked to be contemplating something. Ozpin could only imagine what was going on behind those cold eyes. When she first came to Ozpin about her nephew, he was hesitant.

Apparently, if the news is to be believed, the two were part of a village on an unmarked island that never shared its position. Only those who'd ventured off of its shores could be allowed back in. The White Fang, having been searching for a base of sorts not a decade ago, stumbled upon it and attempted to claim it as their own. It was a slaughter. Not a single inhabitant fled, women and children fighting alongside their husbands and fathers until the White Fang retreated. Unfortunately, the story goes on to tell that the casualties left the village unable to sustain itself. Those who survived left for the mainland, integrating almost seamlessly into normal life. Ozpin almost asked if they had prepared for it, but managed to stop himself.

Miss Irosa met his eyes again, "Did you know he hasn't felt a single thing since that day? No pain, no depression, no joy, no love. He went numb that day. A seven year old boy shouldn't have seen that, but he did. A boy his age wasn't supposed to ever think of killing a person, but he was forced to. That kind of thing, Ozpin, at such a young age... I want you to promise me something."

Ozpin placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "What might that be?"

"The world is on its edge. I want you to promise me that when it tips, you'll keep him away from it. When everything starts to burn, you keep him safe. I don't care how."

Ozpin knew there was truth to that. He didn't know how or when, but a war was coming and he wasn't sure if he'd see the end of it. "You have my word. I will protect Reave to my dying breath."

The look he received was not relief. It was a promise. "You better. If you don't, I'll make sure you keep your end of the bargain."


End file.
